1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved vane system for use in horizontal Venetian blinds and shutters and vertical blinds and shutters, which may be used to cover an architectural opening in a building.
2. Background Art
Window blinds have been used for centuries to cover and to provide light control in buildings. Horizontal, or Venetian blinds and shutters, as well as vertical blinds are commonly comprised of a plurality of flat, coved, or S-shaped wood, plastic, fabric or metal vanes or louvers that hang from hardware, which enables the vanes to be tilted to control light.
Venetian blind systems include an upper head-rail control unit that is installed into or over an architectural opening. Suspended down from this unit are at least two lift cords as well as at least 2 ladder-like configurations that hold the vanes or louvers a predetermined distance from each other in parallel. The lift cords are attached at the bottom of the unit to a bottom rail, which hangs within the ladders below the last louver. Pulling on the lift cords raises the blind, and the blind may be locked into position by means of a cord lock that the cords pass through, which is located within the head-rail. The louvers may also be tilted to control light by means of a tilting mechanism, which is suspended from the head-rail.
U.S. patents showing shaped vanes for blinds, include the following:                U.S. Pat. No. 2,121,217        U.S. Pat. No. 2,155,985        U.S. Pat. No. 2,209,355        U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,973        U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,566        U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,806        U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,183        U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,193        U.S. Pat. No. D495,549and published applications 2005/0230063 and 2008/0093036 also show vane shapes.        